Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-24
sold;ers' Superstitions.

rbetber the Confederate soldier
more superstitious than the Fed
Mar admit nor deny, but 1 think
.nneystitions in regard to battles
nrayailed to an equal extent on
We may laugh at them now,
wee accepted and pinned our faith
:. instance to come under my OBJ
was at Gaines Mill. l was then
[rith an Alabama regiment, and on
,,iDa of the day on which we were
mr. coffee at the early campfire l
s,rt Of oroan from comrade, and
hal to look at him 1 noticed that he
f;ns into his cotfee-pot with some
d, terror, while his face was death
K it," I asked.
iii be killed to-day" he groaned
b. We don't know that even q
,r.ket will he fired.
{s9ael last night" he whispered,
hooked down upon sheet of water
{irtace was covered with bubbles,
|jlst them | saw my own dead face.
h. sho. before night. "
culel the idea and brought up
70 assist me, but the only reply to
kllsrv was a sad shake of the head.
believer in dreams, and he GER
IN that his last day had come. In
eating his breakfast he scrubbed
Tier 10 his mother and intrusted it
[a-ale. In Il little time we got the
march, aud before noon my regi-
has thrown forward to uncover a
I Of the Federal line. The first mis-
at lis was a solid shot from a field
snl it struck the young soldier in
stand cut him fairly in two, with
r-ng another man. Not another
j; even wounded for the next ten
r.ht before Burnside crossed at
E.sburg a Second Lieutenant in a
aregiment received, with hundreds
e,:. some mail from a regimental
carried the pack of twenty or thirty
over to the officers quarters and
i, to this Lieutenant. The top let
for him, and on one end of the
be was red stain. 1t looked like
but was probably ink. He no sooner
tLan he became greatly affected, and
ball be the first officer out of the regi-
illed tomorrow.
ard dozen officers ridiculing him,
became silent and serious, and
walked away by himself. We were
Pl the right where the first Federal
was made. Our regiment was using
and deep land furrow as a ritle-pit,
advance line Of blue had just come
range, when a bullet struck the
pant III the head and killed him in
Ii came from the front, and was
ly the work of some sharpshooter,
pas aftcrward agreed that the officer
killed was perhaps the least ex-
Psany.
was a superstition in my regi-
f4at any one who went into battle
+ foot Of Il rabbit tied around his
as safe. This was all right, and
feet were at a high premium for
'-gee weeks. My brigade was then
ahead OF a reconnaissance. bumped
INST the Tanks, and we not only got
fAashcd, but we lost a good many
out OF the seventy men in my COM
Presume that thirty had the tails
Il 50 happened that the three killed
a 10 the lucky" set, and next day
Ieet took decided fall in price.
los time Brigadiers orderly.
,ssss'lllon was that he would be safe
u!tets as long as he rode chestnut
N the first battle into which / fol-
UNI his chestnut was shot, and, of
hustled" to bring him up another.
as coal black, and the only one l
81 Tor him was a roam. He didn't
notice the difference until the &c
over, and them I got q terrible
IN the second battle he had a
T. and even before our line came
sls a bullet crippled the horse, and
l'I my supersti.ious General in the
ia !eit him to limp through life on
isS. | personally knew other
~ VINO felt safe on roans, bays,
aAu even whites, but they sooner
~; u.sfovered tina. they had pinned
Nv 70 rule which had exceptions.
"!Der that lust before Grant at
NT T.. IN the Wilderness, and while !
y, DAsade headquarters. a hen, of
s-sEe was a large flock about the
e ss:"leied up a steel button. A SER
cavalry at once dismounted and
-. ~ ana when l asked what use he
y II to, he replied:
"a urop it into the ear of my
aofse lust before the next battle,
- ,ri Il. Will come to either of them.
% 'Nat 1etlch can there lie in a steel
isn't so much in the button as il
wt ta'chlns 1t up before my eyes"
,a ~ not try it i'll your own horses
NAT aIe care Of yourself?"
s.. lucky 1t must be given to some
ErTv at him, and he got SO mad thai
,.s zane to blows. I met him 6
a., ! having saber-cut on his head
ulin how the fetch worked.
Ell !, been a Growing hen which
En,r i" up'" he replied. 1.-THE Colone
Saw VI our men We're killed the day
:" YOU. EX-CoNFEDERATE.
mat Baking Soda.